China has embarked on a major widebody aircraft buying spree as its carriers seek to keep up with solid growth demands and introduce new types ahead of the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008.
Orders in recent weeks have covered five Airbus A380s for Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines, 20 Airbus A330-200s for Beijing-based Air China and 60 Boeing 787s for six Chinese carriers.
Boeing's 787 order from China is its biggest to date for the new type, which until the public announcement at the end of January was known as the 7E7. The manufacturer has been in talks on a bulk deal with six carriers for some time following the signing of memoranda of understanding in May last year. Aircraft will go to the country's four dominant airline groups – Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern and Hainan Airlines – as well as to smaller Shanghai Airlines and Xiamen Airlines. Each will take delivery of at least one aircraft before the Olympic Games begin in August 2008.
Airbus, meanwhile, had been pushing particularly hard for an A380 order from China for years and the first delivery to China Southern is also due before the Olympics. Air China is separately in talks to lease A380s from ILFC.
The addition of ultra-large A380s will represent a major step up in capacity for China Southern, which currently counts Boeing 777s as the largest aircraft in its passenger fleet. Air China is the only operator of Boeing 747-400 passenger aircraft in China.
Air China's order for 20 A330-200s will meanwhile cover deliveries between the middle of 2006 and the end of 2008.
Source: Airline Business
